Life Beyond the Beaker

After leaving Rothera on the RRS Ernest Shackleton, we headed up the Antarctic Peninsula. Thanks Joe Cox for the photo of me mooring up my ride home!  On the way North we stopped at a few of the bases, our first stop after most of the new FIDs on board were sea sick was Green Island. Here Ali, Daze and I completed the 5 year ASPA check. As a protected island we were collecting soil, moss and lichen whilst checking the Island for any changes or damages. We then went back on board the ship and went past Vernadsky which used to be an old FID (BAS) base called Faraday (the book by Len Aiery called On Antarctica is a pretty good read about wintering at the base). I was definitely ready to leave Rothera after a long summer season and ready to start my journey home, I'm very excited so see everyone at home, but at the same time the journey North has been amazing so far so it makes the wait worth it!  I've already found it weird looking at the sea and not s...

Tomorrow we are leaving Rothera on the RRS Ernest Shackelton and making our journey North. First we are heading up the Peninsula and visiting various bases including; Palmer, Verdanksy and Green Island. From there we are heading to the Falklands to drop a few of the Rothera summer and my wintering team off to catch an MOD flight back to the UK. A few of us are then heading to Monte Video where we are doing a crew change over, I get almost 3 weeks there so lots of beach time and a bit of time to reintegrate into society.... From there it's 3 weeks back to the UK!! So I will be home in mid June ready for the gliding season...if I can remember how to do it! So excited to start my journey on the ship, but also very sad to be leaving this incredible continent...but who knows, I may return!?